Persona 4 FYL

"Senseeeeeiiii!!" whined Teddie without warning, "can we pleeeeease stop and rest for a bit? My paws are aching like crazy!"

Souji turned around and looked at Teddie, who was slouching forward and panting heavily. Turning to the others, he noticed that they too appeared worn from the constant walking that had continued for a length of time he couldn't be entirely certain of. He thought to himself about the moments when all time had stopped and considered the possibility that this might have had something to do with his lack of fatigue, though Yosuke and Chie were also looking fairly worn down.

"Alright," said Souji finally. "Let's rest here for a bit." The change was immediate. Everyone seemed to smile easier once he had given the order.

"Let's sit over there!" Rise smiled as she pointed to a nearby tree on one of the many rolling hills. The group nodded and walked toward what appeared to be a large ash tree, gnarled and weathered from age, its leaves a deep, healthy green and covered in glistening dew.

"This is kind of pleasant, isn't it?" Yukiko smiled as she sat down under a limb, shading herself from the sunlight.

"I guess," said Kanji as he leaned against the trunk, overturning his box of animal crackers and watching crumbs fall out with a pained expression. "Damn.. I was kinda hoping I'd get the penguin this time."

"Don't feel bad, Kanji-kun," said Rise sympathetically. "I didn't find it either."

"I guess you two just aren't lucky enough," joked Yosuke with a wink.

"You're probably right," Kanji sighed heavily. "Wouldn't surprise me right now, to be honest."

"What do you mean by that?" said Chie, who finally opened her box of crackers and began sifting through them. She didn't want to tell the others that she was also trying to find the penguin too.

"It's, uh... nothing." Kanji looked away, trying to keep his face passive. "Forget I said anything."

"I think I understand, Kanji-kun," said Yukiko with a nod. "I don't think my luck has been very good, either."

"Or mine," agreed Rise. "If you don't count work."

"Whoa, what's with everyone all of a sudden?" asked Yosuke, looking around at his friends in concern. "You guys were fine at the Inn. What's with all this bad-luck talk?"

"It's nothing, Yosuke-kun. Really," said Yukiko, giving him a forced smile, "it's nothing to worry about. Just... unrelated stuff."

Souji listened to his friends' conversation as he leaned against a large branch, staring toward the Rift and thinking to himself. He felt the branch shudder slightly, and he turned to smile up at Naoto, who had jumped onto it and sat down. She smiled back, though her eyes seemed distant.

"You okay?" Souji asked calmly. "You haven't said much for a while now."

"Hm? Oh, yes." Naoto swung her legs back and forth as she sat. "I'm simply recollecting a case I undertook a considerable time ago."

"You think there may be a connection?" Souji smiled as Naoto blushed.

"Y-you.. Souji-kun, you honestly need to stop reading my mind." She shook her head and smiled genuinely this time. "Honestly, your intuition must be genetic.. Dojima-san's the same way too."

"A considerable time ago, though?" Souji repeated, concerned. "How long are you thinking?"

"Approximately two years ago," said Naoto, puzzled. "Why do you-"

Souji blinked, turning back around to face the rest of the group. He noticed Chie and Yosuke both staring at Naoto as though they had been hit in the head.

"Two years ago... There must be a connection relating to that time span. It keeps coming up too often to be coincidental." Souji looked around at his friends. Kanji appeared confused. Rise blinked between Chie and Yosuke, wondering to herself why they looked so stunned. Yukiko looked away from everyone uncomfortably. But Teddie was staring right at Souji in admiration.

"Okay," said Yosuke, thinking out loud. "What happened two years ago?"

"The Rift opened."

Everyone turned to Teddie, who seemed unsure why his friends had done so. "It's... is it important?"

"...Negative emotions..." murmured Souji to himself, turning back to the Rift. He remembered Hotei's words, and spoke without thinking. "...'the deepest suppression of negative emotions of the collective human consciousness, given shape by human hearts and minds.' I wonder if..."

"What did you just say..?" Naoto had turned pale.

"That's it.." said Teddie, amazed. "That's what the cloaked thingie is! That's what opened the Rift!"

"O-Okay, let's organize our thoughts," said Naoto shakily, not noticing Souji's concerned look. "Two years ago, something occurred that opened the Rift in this world and sent that creature, something enveloped in negative emotion, through the tear. Or perhaps that creature opened the Rift itself." She looked down thoughtfully, staring at her shoes.

"Wait.. now that you mention it..." Kanji stood up straight, thinking out loud. "...My own problems started two years ago.."

"Yours too?" said Yukiko in amazement.

"Wait, wait!" interrupted Chie, looking around at everyone as the entire group became more uncomfortable. "Everyone has problems that began two years ago? That makes no sense whatsoever!"

"Is that when you...?" Yosuke's voice trailed off, not wanting to bring up painful memories for Chie. She nodded, however, looking worried.

"Yeah... It's also when we lost touch with each other!" gasped Rise.

"I've been meaning to ask about that." Souji looked around at everyone as they turned their attention toward him. "Most of you have stayed in Inaba until now. Aside from those of us who left willingly, how is it that the rest of you lost touch with each other in a town so small? That seems... a little off."

Yukiko seemed hesitant to answer. "We just... had our own lives to lead.."

"Yeah.." said Kanji in equal hesitance. "I mean, it's natural, isn't it? A man's gotta walk his own path sometime, right?"

"So all of you just decided to stop talking at the same time?" asked Souji.

"Hey, it's not like we didn't try!" retorted Rise. "We talked, Souji-kun! Remember?"

"Once," admitted Souji. "For a few minutes. Then you asked me not to call again because of work, and said you'd call me from then on when you had time."

"...Yeah, well... stuff came up.. I had to make that movie, remember?" Rise looked away guiltily.

"I.. am at fault for a similar indiscretion," sighed Naoto, and Souji nodded as he too remembered their very last, very brief phone conversation. "I.. spoke those very words the last time you attempted to contact me.. 'Something has come up. I can't be distracted right now. I'll call you back when things calm down.' And yet..."

"Okay, guys. Listen up." Yosuke groaned as he rose to his feet. "I've got a theory. I think something's been playing with us, forcing us to feel this way for two whole years. Normal people just don't end up having issues all at the same time, and that Rift-thing opening up makes me feel like this whole mess isn't coincidence. It's all related somehow... our problems, the negative emotions, that... Fear-thing..."

"Fear-thing?" Yukiko blinked. "Where did that come from?"

"What are you talking about?" said Yosuke, confused.

"I mean.. we've only seen it once..." replied Yukiko, twirling her hair absentmindedly as she looked down in thought. "Though.. now that you mention it... It did sort of... radiate this... feeling..."

"Yeah..." muttered Kanji. "I wouldn't tell anyone but you guys this, but... it made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end."

"It's... just creepy!" cried Rise, shaking her head to rid herself of the image. "Ugh, you had to bring it up, didn't you?"

"I don't like it either. It makes me beary, beary scared..." Teddie shivered, the suit jiggling a little.

"Whatever it may be," said Naoto firmly, "it's obvious now that the Rift is the key to understanding everything, thanks to Teddie."

"Mrrr, well, I try!" Teddie beamed at everyone, his eyes shining with pride and pleasure. "I'm just happy everyone's back now!"

"You could have come to visit, you know!" said Chie, grinning. "You knew we would have loved to have you around!"

"I know... Well, I thought I knew," said Teddie uncertainly. "But I guess I got so caught up in fighting the Shadows and stuff that I just..." He sighed a little. "And then the Rift opened up... I had no idea what to do then! The Shadows got restless and I thought I wouldn't help at all if I went back to your world and let them run loose!"

"But we could have helped!" cried Yukiko. "We wouldn't have abandoned you like that!"

"I dunno," said Yosuke. "Considering we had our own problems to deal with, I dunno if we would have been willing to come here... We had our own lives to deal with."

A heavy silence descended on the group as they pondered Yosuke's words. But it was Souji who spoke next. "Come on, we need to get moving again. Time's against us."

Everyone stood up, looking out at the Rift for a moment before gathering their things. Chie and Yosuke moved to Souji's side, but he didn't notice them approach. He was too busy looking at Naoto, who was still busy examining her own shoes.

"..You sure you're alright?" asked Souji, concerned. His direct question caused Naoto to jump slightly, and she blushed a little as she noticed him looking right at her.

"I'm... I'm fine, Souji-kun. Please, don't worry about me. You have enough on your mind as it is." Naoto smiled, but Souji could tell it was forced. But he let it go; she would tell him when she was ready, and he wouldn't push her into it. She hopped down from the tree branch and went to join the others.

"What do you think, partner?" asked Yosuke curiously.

"I don't know." Souji looked at each of his friends. There was something troubling them, there was no doubt about that. They had tried to keep their pain locked away from the others, had been forced by something to withdraw themselves from the hearts they should have been tightly connected to.

This.. is more dangerous than before... Whatever this is, it's trying to tear apart bonds that should be unbreakable... Souji's gaze drifted back to Naoto, who had turned to look at the Rift, but her eyes remained distant, almost haunted by something. ..And you... what's happened to you...?

"Let's go, Souji-kun." Chie patted him on the shoulder. "The Rift-thing isn't gonna come to us."

Souji was snapped out of his thoughts, and he nodded firmly. "Alright, then. Let's-"

"Wha?! Hey!"

"What the hell?!"

"Awww! My dress!"

Souji turned back to the others, and blinked as he saw a cloud of thick, brown dust in their place. They rushed out of it, coughing and spluttering, covered in fine, grimy particles of dirt.

"What happened?!" said Chie in surprise. "Did a Shadow-"

"No! It was-" Naoto choked on her words, trying to clear her throat.

"I think it was me!" said Kanji apologetically. "I thought I'd relieve some of my frustration by kicking the ground, and..."

"..And it.. just exploded!" gasped Rise. "Poof!" She examined one of her pigtails with a frown. "Great... All covered in dust now!"

"Hey, where's Ted?" said Yosuke, looking around.

"I'm here!" said Teddie from within the settling cloud of dust. His silhouette was clearly visible, and he seemed to be looking down at the ground. "...This isn't good! This place isn't supposed to fall apart like this!"

"Fall apart...?" Yukiko shook her head. "..The.. world that mirror's people's hearts is... falling apart..?"

"Crap. Now we REALLY need to get going!" said Yosuke firmly. "If that Rift is the cause, then the sooner we close it, the sooner this place will get back to normal."

"I agree," said Naoto, brushing the dust from her hat. She didn't remove it from her head, however.

"Hey..." said Rise, looking curiously at Naoto. "Wouldn't it just be easier to-"

"I.. can't remove it." Naoto blushed again. "Not yet."

"Then let me," sighed Rise, brushing the dust from her. "Do you like making things difficult on yourself?"

Naoto shrugged. "I'm used to it."

"That doesn't always mean it's necessary," said Yukiko, looking away as she spoke. Chie couldn't help but feel a nagging sense of deja vu at the sight of it.

"Okay, let's get moving," said Souji firmly. "We can't waste any more time."

"That reminds me," said Yosuke, hanging back and whispering so the others wouldn't hear. "You didn't seem surprised about me having my Persona back when we.. you know..."

Chie laughed softly. "Actually, I just... assumed you got yours back, really. I mean, the others still can't use theirs, and... I saw the change in you, Yosuke. Somehow, I knew you could just... do it."

"You have more faith in me than I do, then," said Yosuke sheepishly.

"You just don't give yourself enough credit." Chie punched him gently on the arm. "You have to be more confident in yourself!"

"Easier said than done," Yosuke replied, winking. "But if it's for you, I think I can make an honest effort."

"Then that's good enough for me," said Chie with a grin. "Come on, let's go."

They walked back to the others in time to see Yukiko turn away from then hurriedly, hastily brushing the rest of the dust from her red sweater.

"Huh? You okay, Yukiko?" asked Chie.

"Y-yeah, sure!" said Yukiko with a slight note of discomfort. "I just... was wondering when you two got so..."

"Passive?" suggested Yosuke, grinning.

"...Exactly." Yukiko looked between the two of them in concern. "I mean, don't get me wrong! I'm happy that you two have finally aren't at each others throats! It's just..." She sighed. "I don't know... It must be really nice to be so carefree, that's all..."

"W-what?" said Chie, taken aback. "What are you.."

"It's nothing. J-just forget it..." Yukiko turned away from them again and moved back up the line.

"Carefree?" said Yosuke, amazed as he and Chie took the rear in the marching order once again. "What's that about?"

"I think I know," said Chie sadly. "And I also think she might be next."

Souji, meanwhile, was thinking about Naoto, who had lapsed into a brooding silence. He realized she hadn't elaborated on the case she had been referring to. He made a note to ask her about it later, when she was less depressed.

But he couldn't help but feel like there was something else central to their plight.

Something that concerned Naoto herself.

And it scared him.